The Blog

9.29.16 50 years ago today, Botswana gained independence from Britain. Independence came shortly after leaders in Botswana organized for political power. For instance, the Bechuanaland People’s Party (BPP) was formed and its immediate goal was independence. After the BPP was founded, another more moderate party – the Bechuanaland Democratic Party (BDP) – which was formed in 1962, developed a schedule …

American University, based in Washington D.C, has launched an investigation after Black students reported bananas being thrown at them. “Two female students living on the same floor in a dorm say they’ve have had to deal with bananas left at their door. One of the students had a banana thrown at her and the other discovered a rotten banana along …

#BlackWomenDidThat: Regina King Wins Second Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series Regina King, for the second year in a row, won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in her role as Terri Lacroix for the drama, American Crime, which airs on ABC. When King received the award, she showed humility by paying homage to her supporting cast: …

Katherine Johnson, a Black woman mathematician, was hired by NASA during the Jim Crow era to do math and research that would launch white men into space. However, her story was nearly forgotten. Mary Gainer, a historic preservationist for NASA, stumbled upon a 1943 picture of around a thousand people standing in a huge NASA building. What surprised Gainer were …

The national museum of African American History and Culture will be opening on September 24. To commemorate the opening, the historic “Freedom Bell” will ring. The bell usually hangs in the tower of First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, VA, which was a church founded by enslaved Africans. “The connection between a congregation founded in 1776, the forging of First Baptist …

Despite being “the land of the free,” the United States has the biggest prison population in the world. The U.S. accounts for less than 5 percent of the world’s population, yet has about 25 percent of its prisoners. A new study by researchers at Washington University examined the economic toll of mass incarceration in the United States. The research concluded …

Last year, we sat down with our friend Clint Smith, renowned poet and writer whose TED talk, “How to Raise a Black Son in America” is reaching millions of folks. Smith recently published his first book, Counting Descent, and we got the chance to ask him a few questions. Pre-order the book here. In May, you became a Cave Canem …

According to the Windy City Times, a transgender woman named T.T. was found dead in Chicago’s Garfield Park on Sunday night. T.T. was found with her throat slit, and a knife was recovered nearby. “She was laughing all the time. You could be going through a bad day but once you saw [T.T.], she was such a happy cheerful person …

Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem has led to even more NFL players protesting it. This past opening weekend, numerous NFL players protested the anthem in order to highlight the injustices that exists in America. Marcus Peters (Kansas City Chiefs) as well as Martellus Bennett and Devin McCourty (New England Patriots) did the iconic Black Power salute. Arian Foster, …

On September 9th, inmates throughout the country launched a work strike to end prison slavery. The call for the strike came from those incarcerated in Alabama and Texas Prisons, and inmates nationwide are answering the call. The strike will take place in 40 prisons in 24 states across the United States. “The criminal-justice system is a continuation of slavery.” – …

On September 7, 1954, Baltimore schools officially opened on an integrated basis. This was made possible by the Supreme Court’s decision on May 17, 1954, which ruled that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional. “Only six white students chose to attend formerly all-black schools, none in the secondary grades. Nearly 1,600 African-American students would enter 49 formerly all-white schools, accounting …

Labor Day was founded after the Pullman Strike of 1894, when President Cleveland was hoping to gain political allyship by honoring railroad workers. However, the story about the involvement of the Black Pullman porters in the labor movement is not always told. “Pullman porters were black men who worked in the train cars attending to their mostly white passengers, performing …

Toni Stone, who was born with the name Marcenia Stone, was the first woman to play professional baseball. From a young age, Stone was always athletic. At age 15, Stone played for a local, semi-professional team, the Twin City Colored Giants. During Stone’s career as a baseball player, she faced many obstacles simply because she was a woman. One coach …

George Poage, a track athlete, was the first Black American to compete and win a medal in the Olympics. On September 1, 1904, Poage won his first of two bronze medals in either the 200m and 400m hurdle. Unfortunately, history does not account for which event he won in, however, it is known that he competed in both the 200m …

Supporters of Philando Castile gathered at his high school to celebrate his life, and to also create a scholarship in his name. “We all had a lot of rage and anger and grief, and we decided to channel that.” – Karla Basta The scholarship has raised over $25,000, and will go to an underprivileged student who plans to study education …

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made national news when he refused to stand for the National Anthem. However, what most folks do not know is that the anthem is grounded in anti-blackness. Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star Spangled Banner, was a slaveholding lawyer from Maryland. “He [Francis Scott Key] supported sending free blacks (not slaves) back …

Only 2% of teachers are Black men, yet they have been quitting shortly after becoming teachers. There have been arguments made that the reason why Black boys are not succeeding in the classroom is due to a lack of Black male teachers, however, that claim is false. “Schools are failing black male students, and it’s not because of the race …

Asnath Mahapa, the first Black woman pilot from South Africa, is helping other women become pilots. In 2012, Mahapa founded the African College of Aviation in order to help reach her goal of helping other women become pilots. “For me it’s about trying to help women who aspire to become pilots,” she said. “I still see a lot of black …

Leslie Jones, a Black woman actress and comedian, had her website hacked. Hackers exposed nude photos of her as well as her personal information. “On my worst day I can’t think of this type of hate to put out.” -Leslie Jones Unfortunately, this is not the first time she’s been attacked by such blatant racism and sexism. Leslie Jones starred …

On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to move from her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. “I paid my fare and it’s my constitutional right,” she recalls. “I remember they dragged me off [the] bus because I refused to walk. They handcuffed me and took me to an adult jail.” -Claudette Colvin However, Claudette is not …

Legend Preston, a 10-year-old boy, was standing outside his home when Newark police had guns drawn on him. “They tried to shoot me…the cops.” -Legend Preston When neighbors and friends noticed what was occurring, they formed a human shield around Legend to protect him. Newark Police Department was chasing a 20-year-old, 6-foot tall man with locs when they ran into …

After the success of the TV show Underground, John Legend and Tika Sumpter will produce a new TV show on WGN which will tell the story about Black Wall Street. For those who don’t know, Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma was one of the most economically successful Black communities in America. The community was unfortunately destroyed by white terrorists, …

BMe Community is a Black male led nonprofit that is committed to uplifting the Black community. The nonprofit has moved $1 million into 1st United Bank, which is the largest Black bank in the U.S. “There’s this myth that black people are not financial, so I think a lot of people avoid black banks, or they are afraid of black …

In a recent PushBlack round-up, we reported that the Justice Department will be cutting ties with private prisons. While this decision marks progress, there is much more work to be done as the decision only affects 13 prisons (Black Youth Project). “While this is a significant move given the times we live in, these contracts, with Corrections Corporation of America …

A support group called Moms of Black Boys United (MOBB United) has launched in order to provide support to women raising Black sons. Depelsha McGruder, a mother of two Black boys, started the group on Facebook after the police killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. “If you’re a mother of a Black son, whether it’s a boy or a …

1. Allyson Felix is Now the Most Decorated Female Track and Field Olympian. [via Essence] Allyson Felix became the most decorated female in Track and Field when she won the silver medal in the 400m dash on Monday night. “It is something that I’m definitely very, very proud of.” Congratulations to Allyson on her momentous achievement. Read here: http://bit.ly/2bc7FHW 2. Detroit …

1. #BlackBanksMatter: Black banks see surge in deposits. [via USA Today] During a recent BET town hall, Rapper Killer Mike challenged the Black community to start banking Black. Since then, Black owned banks such as Citizens Trust Bank have received over 8,000 applications for new depositors. Are you looking for a Black owned bank? Click here. Read here: http://usat.ly/29GDKFA 2. …

Compton is one the nation’s most beloved cities, especially for hip hop fans. Though well-respected for its music, the city also has quite the reputation when it comes to gangs and violence. As a result of the crack epidemic and the United States’ malicious Drug War of the 1980s, decades of gang-related violence plagued the streets of Compton. While local …

Compton is one the nation’s most beloved cities, especially for hip hop fans. Though well-respected for its music, the city also has quite the reputation when it comes to gangs and violence. As a result of the crack epidemic and the United States’ malicious Drug War of the 1980s, decades of gang-related violence plagued the streets of Compton. While local …

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s historic appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation’s first African-American Justice, Marshall exemplified an unyielding commitment to the fight for equality for marginalized groups. Throughout his twenty-four year tenure on the Supreme Court, Marshall championed Civil Rights issues and made tremendous strides, combining legislation and political activism. Upon being …

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s historic appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation’s first African-American Justice, Marshall exemplified an unyielding commitment to the fight for equality for marginalized groups. Throughout his twenty-four year tenure on the Supreme Court, Marshall championed Civil Rights issues and made tremendous strides, combining legislation and political activism. Upon being …

The global electronic music industry is worth $7.1 billion. From house clubs to international music festivals, the industry has amassed millions of fans and cemented itself as an industry soundhouse. Few know the roots of this genre in Black America. One of the largest subsets of the genre, techno, can trace its origins to a geographic location: Detroit, Michigan (well, …

The global electronic music industry is worth $7.1 billion. From house clubs to international music festivals, the industry has amassed millions of fans and cemented itself as an industry soundhouse. Few know the roots of this genre in Black America. One of the largest subsets of the genre, techno, can trace its origins to a geographic location: Detroit, Michigan (well, …

“The Real McCoy” is a phrase you have probably heard at some point in your life, but do you know the man behind the legend? Meet renowned inventor Elijah McCoy. Elijah was born in 1844, the son of formerly enslaved Blacks who escaped from Kentucky to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. Educated in segregated Canadian schools, Elijah quickly …

“The Real McCoy” is a phrase you have probably heard at some point in your life, but do you know the man behind the legend? Meet renowned inventor Elijah McCoy. Elijah was born in 1844, the son of formerly enslaved Blacks who escaped from Kentucky to Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. Educated in segregated Canadian schools, Elijah quickly …

It is not uncommon to hear pundits talk about about Black voters’ unfaltering loyalty to the Democratic party, regarding the Black vote for Democrats as an inevitability. Indeed, for the past few presidential races, 90% of Black voters have chosen the Democratic candidate. However, 100 years ago Black voters had this same loyalty for the the Republican Party. Even as …

We all have films that we love in the Black community, but how often do we pay attention to exactly who brought those movies to life for us? While we all may be able to recognize a Spike Lee joint, there are countless Black directors whose contributions to the film industry go unrecognized. This is especially true when it comes …